Dirty Chocolate Cookies are rich chocolate cookies rolled in sugar with a crispy outside and a soft, chewy center. Using two kinds of chocolate in the cookies makes them a decadent and indulgent treat with a deep chocolate flavor in every bite. They are worth the crumbs and sugar that may get everywhere! If you are craving more chocolate, try my Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with chocolate frosting in between.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Chocolate: I used both semisweet and milk chocolate chips in this recipe. The semisweet chocolate chips provide a deep, chocolatey flavor while the milk chocolate chips provide a sweet flavor. Together, they create a delicious and indulgent cookie experience.
Eggs: Be sure the eggs are at room temperature before adding them to the cookie dough.
Sugar: You will use granulated sugar in both the cookie dough and for rolling the dough into the sugar before baking. This gives the cookies a little crunch and added sweetness.
Can I Melt the Chocolate and Butter in the Microwave?
Yes, you could melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave (but it is quite a bit of chocolate). However, melting chocolate using the double-boiler method helps you control the heat more so it doesn’t burn. If you do use the microwave, melt the chips and butter in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until melted and smooth.
Do I Have to Chill the Dough?
The dough should chill in the refrigerator for an hour, and it does make a difference. When you chill cookie dough, it solidifies the fat. Then, when you are ready to bake the cookies, the chilled dough takes longer to melt and remains solid longer, meaning the cookies spread less. Chilling the dough also gives you more flavorful cookies. The dry ingredients have time to soak up the wet ingredients, allowing them all to come together. Baking will be more even as well.
Can I Make These Cookies Ahead of Time?
Yes! The cookie dough can be made and frozen to bake at a later time. To freeze the dough, place the balls of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 1-2 hours, or until the dough balls are completely frozen. Once frozen, transfer the dough to freezer-safe zipper bags. When ready to bake, simply bake as many of the cookies as you need from frozen. You may need to increase the baking time by 1-2 minutes.
How to Store Dirty Chocolate Cookies
These cookies are best in an airtight container at room temperature. They should last up to 5 days. For longer storage, freeze the baked cookies in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2-3 months.
More Popular Cookies
Dirty Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (½ stick / 57 g) unsalted butter
- 2 ¾ cups (500 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (62.5 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 bag (12 ounces) milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Fill a pot about halfway full of water. Bring it to a simmer over low heat. Find a heat-safe bowl (glass or stainless steel) that can be set into the pot of simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. The steam is what will melt the butter and chocolate.
- Add the butter and semisweet chocolate chips to the heat-safe bowl. With the heat on low, use a rubber spatula to stir the chocolate until it is melted and smooth. This takes about 5 minutes.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add eggs and 1 ½ cups sugar. (Reserve ½ cup sugar for rolling the dough.) Beat on medium speed until combined. Add in the vanilla and melted chocolate and beat until combined, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add in the flour and baking powder and mix until combined.
- Gently fold in the milk chocolate chips.
- Cover the bowl of cookie dough and store it in the refrigerator for one hour.
- When ready, preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a 2-tablespoon scoop, drop the cookie dough onto the lined baking sheets. Roll each ball of dough into the reserved granulated sugar and place back onto the lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each.
- Bake for 17 minutes, or until the edges appear dry.
- Let the cookies cool for about 10 minutes on the baking sheets before enjoying them.
Video
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What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
Oh My Gosh. This cookie is DIVINE! It's ooey gooey on the inside, filled with so much chocolate flavor, and the outside has the slightest crunch from the sugar coating. The flavors are perfectly balanced, you are going to LOVE this one!
Elizabeth
Yum! I loved the fudgy center of these cookies with the crispy outside. Don't mind the sugar crumbs that are all over my hands after I dig into one (or two) of these cookies. I mean, they are called 'dirty' cookies, right?!?
Bella
This is soooo good. It is extremely sweet and chocolatey. It is perfectly soft on the inside. It has a very slight crunch from the sugar it was rolled in! If you like chocolate cookies, you'll enjoy this.
Selena
These cookies are super fudgey on the inside and have a nice crunch on the outside from the sugar. They are such a decadent and delicious cookie!
No video link! I am interested in seeing a video about these cookies!
It’s there now. 🙂
How many cookies does the recioe make?
About 14 large cookies.
The video won’t play..??
I do believe these could enter Christmas cookie category!
Does the frosting harden enough to stack the cookies. ?
Neither one of my batters had the consistency that they were suppose to have. I am not sure as to why that is, the cookie batter is delicious, but it was still very wet not dry.
Cookies spread really big I cut them down to teaspoon full but still big and flat
I made these this am. So good. I made them smaller and it made 3 dozen. They are still a normal size ccookie.
Made these last night and they are quickly disappearing. Super easy and super delicious. I ended up with 2 dozen cookies and they were pretty big size — just perfect for my family. They remind me of brownies and the frosting is the best part. SO good. I’ll be making these over and over again — at Christmas they’d be good with a little bit of peppermint candy sprinkled on top!
Love that idea!! <3
Great recipe! I love both the cookie & frosting…made “cookie sandwiches” so I could package them up easier & take them to work.